


Damned

by thewishingdragon



Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: /fine as hell/, Demon Veronica AU, F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Witch Martha, although let's be real here, and it's the first known instance of lucifer being portrayed as, author fucks with bible canon, dare i say it, so let me just fuck around with the most widespread religion in the country in peace, there's a very influential piece of revisionist bible fanfiction called Paradise Lost
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-06-01 17:52:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15148610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewishingdragon/pseuds/thewishingdragon
Summary: So this exists now.Do I have several other unfinished fics waiting to be updated? Yes. Do I have two writing blogs with tons of asks I need to write stories for? Also yes.Am I going to write this anyway and add even more work to my already significant To Do list?You bet your asses I am.Huge thanks to keenmint for helping me with the planning for this!





	1. Summoning

“Do you really think this will work?” Duke grumbled, shifting uncomfortably from her spot on the floor.

“Probably not,” Mac said, sitting down next to her, careful not to disrupt the circle between the three of them. “But if it doesn’t, then it’s not like we’ll have wasted that much of our time.”

Chandler huffed and turned out the lights, sitting down between the others. “If it doesn’t work, we can just find some other way to get back at Veronica for that stunt she pulled.”

“Still,” Duke said, “Doesn’t this seem like a little much? I mean, who the hell tries to summon a demon just to get revenge on someone for ruining their shoes?”

Chandler rolled her eyes. “I’m sure there’s one out there somewhere. Come on, Heather, let’s get this over with.”

Mac nodded, and opened the book, reading out the spell.

* * *

 

Veronica scoffed as she put her contacts away, feeling around for her glasses. “And then she goes, _ Transfer to Washington, transfer to Jefferson, but come Monday, nobody here is going to let you play their reindeer games." _

Betty snorted as she tied her hair back. “Wow. What did you do?”

“Nothing.”

Martha nodded, spitting into the sink and rinsing her toothbrush in the sink. “Good. I would have been pretty upset if you tried to get revenge on my behalf.”

Veronica smiled and reached for her toothbrush. “I know better than to do something like that.”

“I’m always open to letting you wreak vengeance in my name.”

Veronica huffed out a laugh. “I know, Betty.”

Martha laughed, but started suddenly. “Does anyone else smell smoke?”

Veronica sniffed at the air. “Smells like-”

“Fuck!” Betty said, jumping back from where Veronica stood. “Your legs!”

Veronica looked down, eyes wide. Thick, gray smoke swirled around her feet and up her legs.

“Oh for fuck’s sake! Who the hell is summoning a demon at this hour?!”

She didn’t get to hear an answer, as the smoke quickly swirled up and up, covering her face and filling her lungs, only to disappear along with her, leaving Betty and Martha to stare in shock at the quickly dissipating ring of smoke.

Martha sighed. “I’ll get my scrying materials. You go find a map. We’ll start narrowing down her location.”

Betty nodded, darting down the stairs in a hurry.

* * *

 

Veronica coughed and waved a hand in front of her face, attempting to force the smoke out of her lungs and clear the air around her enough to catch a glimpse of her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was the shocked faces of the Heathers. The second was the room she was in.

The summoning circle around her was surrounded by a ring of salt, red thread tied around the candles spaced evenly along the edges of the circle. Wards. To protect them, no doubt.

What was more interesting, however, were the large Madonna posters on the walls, the mountain of stuffed animals piled around a bean bag chair in one corner, and the large bird cage next to the TV.

Veronica eyed the Heathers suspiciously. “What the fuck.”

Chandler groaned in frustration. “How the fuck did we end up summoning  _ you?! _ ”

Varonica frowned. “Explain yourselves.  _ Now.  _ Why the fuck am I here?” She hissed, trying to look intimidating. Or, as intimidating as one could look when they were holding a toothbrush and wearing flannel pajama pants, glasses, and a gray sweatshirt that read “More pan than Peter and twice as magical.”

Chandler scoffed. “As if I’d explain anything to you after what you did.”

Veronica had a hunch as to why the Heathers were fucking around with the occult, and the realization made her smirk dangerously. “Revenge? How delightfully wicked of you, Heather. Too bad for you, though. You can’t exactly use me as a weapon against myself.”

Chandler’s glare might have scared her, had she been anything less than in control at this moment.

Instead, Veronica chuckled darkly, and released her glamour.

Large, goat-like horns curved back on either side of her head, curling into a near-perfect circle and making her look at least half a head taller. Deep, indigo-blue scales wrapped around her forearms, spiraling around her middle fingers and thumbs and glowing faintly. Her canines turned to fangs, her ears grew more pointed, and her nails grew longer, appearing more like claws. Most striking of all, though, were her eyes. They glowed a bright cobalt blue, the light radiating beautifully and terrifyingly as she fixed her fierce gaze on Chandler once more.

“Now, I’ll ask again, and this time, I suggest you answer me. I don’t like repeating myself, and you’re already testing my patience. Why was I summoned?”

Perhaps she should have paid more attention to her surroundings, because she suddenly found herself being pushed backwards into a chair. Duke and Mac grabbed her hands and tied them behind her back, binding her ankles to the legs of the chair a moment later.

Veronica rolled her eyes, but decided to play along, if only because this was the most fun she’d had with a summoning in a while. “Well? Are you going to tell me why you decided to fuck around with the occult _ tonight, _ of all nights?”

Chandler stood, meeting Veronica’s gaze head-on, and for a moment, Veronica was impressed. That is, until she glanced down and noticed Chandler’s hands balled up into fists at her sides.  


She smirked. “I scare you, don’t I? What’s the matter? I thought you went into this with the intention of summoning a demon. You’ve got me, so what’s the problem?”

“We didn’t think it would actually  _ work! _ ” Mac said, “We were just messing around!”

Veronica huffed. “Well, look where  _ just messing around _ got you. You wasted my time, your own time, and possibly Martha’s time. She and Betty are probably worrying themselves sick looking for me thanks to you three.”

Duke scoffed. “Like they’d take seeing you like _this,_ ” she gestured vaguely to Veronica’s current form, “Any better than we are.”

“I’ll have you know,” Veronica drawled, “That they’ve already seen me like this, and at this point, they’re far from afraid of me.”

Duke’s expression shifted from annoyance to confusion. “But you’re a literal demon.”

“I also happen to be a pretty good friend to the two of them. Unlike a _few_ people I happen to know.” The accusation was clear, and she watched as Duke took the bait, face scrunching up in indignant rage.

“I’m not about to let _you_ preach to me about-!”

Before she could continue her tirade, the door swung open and Betty and Martha stormed in, Martha holding what looked like a blue crystal in front of her like a weapon, with Betty behind her, brandishing a dagger.

“Let our friend go before I hex the three of you into oblivion,” Martha growled.

_ Well, _ Veronica thought,  _ Things just got even more interesting. _


	2. Rescue

“Okay, what the fuck?” Duke snapped, “Why are you two here? _How_ are you two here?!”

Martha frowned, ignoring Duke almost entirely. “Why do you have Veronica?”

Chandler sneered. “What the fuck are you doing here?!”

“What are _you_ doing with our _friend?!_ ” Betty demanded, gesturing wildly with her arms.

“Betty,” Veronica murmured, slowly cutting through the ropes at her wrists by twisting her arms and allowing her scales to wear through the fibers, “The knife.”

Betty blinked, lowering her arm. “Right. Sorry.”

Veronica shrugged. “At least you didn’t hurt anybody.”

Duke’s eyes narrowed. “Aren’t you supposed to be a demon?”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I want the few people worthy of my loyalty to be hurt.” She stared up at Duke, expression neutral.

Duke sneered, stepping into Veronica’s personal space. “If you think I’m about to let a _demon_ lecture _me_ on morality-”

She didn’t get to finish, because at that moment, she found herself standing several feet back from where she had just been.

“What the hell?”

Martha huffed, lowering her hand. “The next time you try to threaten her, you’ll find yourself much farther away than that.”

Veronica chuckled at the flabbergasted look on Duke’s face as she willed her magic to break the ropes around her ankles.

“You… What _are_ you?!”

Martha sighed. “A witch. Not a bad one, despite what you might think about the fact that one of my best friends is a demon.”

Duke balked. “A _witch?!_ And you never _told_ me?! What the fuck?!”

Martha frowned. “It was for the best, considering you didn’t stick around anyways.”

Duke gave an indignant scoff. “Well, it looks like I was _right_ to leave, if you were keeping something like this a secret from me the whole time we were friends!”

Martha’s eyes narrowed dangerously then. “It didn’t matter much in the long run, did it? You left. _You_ abandoned _me,_ not the other way around. You may not care much about loyalty, but _I’m_ here to help my friend. Now, let her go.”

Duke laughed mockingly, and Veronica watched Martha’s fists clench in barely-restrained fury.

_Well,_ Veronica thought, _This looks like the place for some less-than-divine intervention._

In what looked like a single motion, Veronica stood, the ropes snapping and falling uselessly to the floor as she rose to her full height. She immediately moved between Duke and Martha before the situation could escalate further.

“You didn’t have to come for me,” Veronica said, her voice sounding more like a growl without the glamour, “They’re beginners at best. They couldn’t have hurt me. They were barely able to restrain me for five minutes, and that was only because I let them. I appreciate the fact that you were worried, though.”

Martha and Betty nodded in understanding, and Veronica turned to stare down at Duke.

“As for you,” she said, her voice lacking venom, despite the circumstances, “If it weren’t for Martha, I would have dealt with you on her behalf a long time ago. As it stands, though, she still cares about you, which means you’re _somehow_ still worth her kindness. I suggest you show her the proper respect before I reconsider abiding by her wishes.”

Duke shrank back, and Veronica felt a wave of satisfaction.

“Come on,” Veronica muttered, turning back to Betty and Martha, “Let’s go. We never did get to finish our movie night.”

They nodded, and Veronica moved to leave, only to be stopped by Chandler’s hand grabbing her shoulder in a vice-like grip.

“What the _fuck_ is your damage, Veronica?” she snapped.

Veronica felt her lips stretch in a wicked grin at the thought of knocking the Queen of Westerburg down a peg or two. “My _damage,_ as you have so _eloquently_ described,” she explained, “Is that you effectively _abducted_ me, held me captive, and now you have the _nerve_ to act like you _own me,_ as if I’m some sort of _exotic pet_ for you to show off as a testament to your skill with magic!” she growled, “Newsflash, Heather! Summoning spells are basic magic. They're little more than recipes. You’re a beginner trying to act like an expert, and I suggest you quit while you’re ahead and leave the occult stuff to people who _actually_ know what they’re doing”

Chandler gaped, and Veronica turned away, locking eyes with Mac and letting out a sigh.

“You shouldn’t mess around with this stuff,” she said, “If you’d messed anything up, you could have summoned someone much more dangerous than me. Someone who wouldn’t waste time pretending to be trapped by candles and salt.” she patted Mac on the shoulder gently and offered her a sad smile, “You should be more careful. You don’t need to be getting into any accidents.”

Betty cleared her throat. “Are we gonna go?”

Veronica nodded. “Yeah. This has been more than enough excitement for one night.”

At that, Chandler broke free from her shock and moved to block Veronica’s path.

“If you think for a _second_ I’m about to let you just _walk out of here-”_

Veronica snapped her fingers, and she, Betty and Martha vanished, leaving Chandler to shout uselessly at the empty air.


	3. A Binding Agreement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A deal is made, and we collectively wonder who is truly in control.

“Y’know, you could just blank their memories,” Betty said, “There’ll be hell to pay otherwise.”

Veronica chuckled. “I’m an agent of Hell, Betty. The Heathers have never scared me. Besides, it’s not like anyone would believe them if they decided to tell people.”

Martha frowned. “Still, you should be careful. Maybe stay home on Monday, just to be safe.”

Veronica shook her head. “If I’m not there for them to take their anger out on, they’ll just move on to the next most obvious target, and that’s you. I won’t allow you to be hurt because of me.”

* * *

 

Chandler fumed silently as she stood in the bathroom early Monday morning. There was still some time before first period, and while she’d usually be using that time to make sure her makeup was as close to perfect as possible, today had her in a worse mood than usual.

“Heather?” Mac brought a gentle hand up to Chandler’s shoulder. “You’ve been more stressed than usual. Are you alright?”

“What about this situation makes you think any of us are alright, Heather?” Duke grumbled, “You were there when we summoned Veronica. You know what happened.”

Mac opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the door opening.

Veronica stood in the doorway, glamour in place, arms crossed in front of her.

Chandler’s eyes narrowed in barely restrained fury. “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing your face here.”

At that, Veronica grinned. “I haven’t shown my true face, at least. I doubt the masses could handle such a thing.”

Duke scoffed. “Why did you even come here? Are you about to take our souls or something?”

Veronica chuckled. “Well, if you’re offering, then I’d be a fool to refuse.”

“I’m not offering you my soul!”

Veronica shrugged. “I know. Still, you should be careful when it comes to that kind of thing. Some other demons would interpret such phrasing as an offer, and there’s not much you can do to get around that.”

“And what? You’d never think of stealing someone’s soul?”

“Not stealing, no.” Veronica uncrossed her arms. “If someone offers it of their own free will, however, I might take it. Not sure what I’d do with it, though, I’m not really much of a soul collector.”

Duke’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Soul collector?”

Veronica nodded. “Some of us like to collect souls, for some reason. I don’t exactly understand why, but that’s probably just because I was raised here among humans, rather than spending my formative years in Hell.”

“So Hell exists?”

“If it didn’t, I’d have a lot of questions about my own existence,” Veronica smiled wryly, “But yeah, it exists.”

“Okay, another question,” Duke said, “If demons are real, then angels must exist too, right?”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “They exist, alright. In all their arrogant glory. Interestingly enough, angels actually aren’t all paragons of virtue. They just act all high and mighty because the Bible favors them. In reality, they can be kind or cruel, but they pretend they’re all flawless and lord it over us demons constantly.”

Duke was skeptical. “And you expect us to believe that?”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “Whether you believe me or not is irrelevant. What  _ is  _ relevant, however, is the fact that you summoned me with the intent to form a contract. Because of that, I’m bound to the three of you until whatever agreement you’re after comes to a close.”

Chandler’s eyes widened, lips curling upward in a sinister smile. “So you’re saying that we’ve basically got you as our servant?”

“Until I’ve done whatever you meant to ask of me, yes.”

Her mood now much better than it had been previously, Chandler stepped forward. “In that case, how’s this for a contract? You’ll do whatever we tell you, whenever we tell you to do it, until we decide we’re done with you.”

Veronica didn’t seem fazed. “Very well, then. Our contract will be as follows. I’ll serve you in whatever ways you require, within reason, and in return, I’ll have a place among the three of you, as well as your word that Betty and Martha will come to no harm, physical or otherwise, by any of you or the things you would ask of me.” She held out her hand. “Do we have a deal?”

Chandler thought for a moment. “What do you mean by ‘within reason?’”

“I won’t kill anybody and I won’t inflict permanent injuries. That’s non-negotiable.”

Mac balked. “You don’t think we’d actually ask you to do something like that, do you?”

Veronica shrugged. “You’d be surprised what people have tried to make me do.”

Chandler huffed, taking Veronica’s hand and shaking it. “Deal.”

Veronica hummed, and turned to Mac. “You next. Do you agree to the terms?”

Mac frowned. “What?”

“I’m bound to the three of you until our contract comes to a close, which means all three of you need to agree to the terms of the contract in order to seal it.”

Mac nodded slowly, shaking Veronica’s hand.

Duke’s eyes narrowed in suspicion when Veronica turned to her. “How do I know you won’t try something as soon as we seal this contract?”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “If I’m bound to you, then you can easily just order me not to hurt you. Besides, Martha already asked me not to do anything to you on her behalf, and I’d be a pretty terrible demon if I didn’t keep my word.”

Duke didn’t seem convinced, but she took Veronica’s hand anyway.

Veronica grinned. “The contract is sealed. Remember what you’ve just agreed to.”

Somehow, when Veronica says that, Chandler doesn’t feel as triumphant as she thought she would.


	4. Sins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I thought of the second half of this chapter an hour ago, after being stuck for literal months trying to get this right.
> 
> Enjoy the fruits of my labor and the result of my long torment! (Kidding! But seriously, I hope y'all like it!)

“You know,” Veronica drawled, “When I told you I’d serve you in whatever ways you required, I didn’t think you’d require an education on demons.”

Duke rolled her eyes. “I’m not _Heather,_ Veronica. I’m not trying to take over the world.”

Veronica grinned wryly down at her. “You sure about that? You seem interested enough in power.”

Duke shrugged. “Not over the whole world, though. Besides, empires aren’t known for being successful.”

“Fair enough,” Veronica grinned, “So, what do you want to know?”

Duke sat down at Veronica’s desk and got out a notebook and pen. “Well, for starters, what exactly do demons do? I mean, I’d expect you to be-”

“In Hell?” Veronica chuckled. “Some of us do work there, but for the most part, we tend to work on the surface keeping balance.”

“Keeping balance?”

“Our job, should we opt out of punishing wicked souls, is to spread suffering and misfortune when it’s necessary,” Veronica explained.

“But when’s it necessary?”

Veronica shrugged. “That’s mostly up to us. We don’t really do anything directly, but we’re allowed to manipulate luck and circumstance.”

Duke nodded. “I think I get it. So, can you do it the other way, too? The luck thing, I mean.”

“We can. It’s not really our job, but we’re allowed to do it if we think it’s necessary.”

“Okay, so how does Hell work?”

Veronica hummed thoughtfully. “Well, for starters, it’s not just a huge lake of fire. There _is_ a lake of fire, but that’s not really the main attraction. It’s mostly just people atoning for the sins they committed in life and then moving on to face judgement.”

Duke frowned. “Judgement?”

“Yeah. Everyone goes to Hell. Some longer than others. Once you’re there, you have to face the consequences of the sins you committed by experiencing them yourself, sometimes multiple times. Once you’ve finished that, if you believe you’ve learned your lesson and you feel remorse for what you’ve done, you’re judged to see if you’ve earned a place in heaven.”

“Does everyone go to heaven?”

Veronica’s expression hardened. “No. There are some crimes that can’t be forgiven. Atrocities that no amount of pleading can atone for. There are people in Hell who, no matter how many times over they suffer the consequences of their crimes, will never earn their salvation.”

Duke stared at Veronica in bewilderment. “You’re uh… really passionate about that stuff, aren’t you?”

Veronica nodded. “I may be a demon, but that doesn’t make me evil by nature. I do have morals.”

Duke snorted. “ _Sure_ you do.”

Veronica met her eyes, her own glowing a bright blue. “You have no idea what you’re provoking, dear Heather.”

“What _am_ I provoking, _demon?”_

Veronica growled, razor sharp fangs curling over her bottom lip as she bared her teeth. “There are many things I could have done to you on Martha’s behalf, you know. Even that night, when you summoned me, there were countless ways I could have exacted vengeance. Not just on you either. It would have been so easy to, say, silence Heather instead of just leaving. All I would have to do is snap my fingers and she’d be voiceless for as long as _I_ deemed necessary. However, I think the fact that the three of you are all hellbound is punishment enough. For now.”

Duke felt a shiver run up her spine.

Veronica grinned, leaning forward. “You’re afraid. I can feel it. Would you like to know what you’re going to hell for? I’d need your files to determine the exact length of your sentences, but I can at least tell you the main sins you’ll be punished for.”

Duke felt her instincts telling her to look away from those hypnotic blue eyes, but forced herself to maintain eye contact. “Fine.”

Veronica chuckled, the sound sweet and menacing all at once. “Heather Chandler’s sins are obvious. Wrath, Pride, Lust and a little bit of Envy. Yours are Envy and Pride. Heather McNamara’s greatest sin is Sloth.”

Duke scoffed. “Prideful? _Me?_ Give me a break.”

“Oh, but you _are,_ ” Veronica’s words seemed to curl and press in around her like smoke, “You _love_ knowing that, in your ultimately meaningless struggle for power with Heather, you have the moral high ground. You relish the knowledge that you’ve never wronged her the way she’s wronged you. Your pride is in the fact that, in your own mind, you’re better than her, even if only in this way. But the truth is, the two of you will be in Hell for about the same amount of time for the people you’ve caused to suffer. Although, that might give you some sick satisfaction too, wouldn’t it? The fact that she’ll suffer as you do. The fact that she’ll experience every moment of your suffering through your eyes. She’ll know exactly what she did to you, and, depending on how long it takes for her to feel remorse for it, she may even be made to relive it a few times. Does that not give you some perverse sense of gratification?”

Duke grimaced. Veronica wasn’t wrong.

“What about Heather, then?” she said, in an attempt to shift the focus away from herself, “Why sloth?”

Veronica gave a disappointed sigh. “She sees the injustices you and others like you do unto those who don’t deserve it, and she does nothing, even though she has the power to stop it. Knowing something must be done, and that you have the ability to do it, and yet choosing to do nothing, even if only out of cowardice, is Sloth.”

Duke thought for a moment. “What about Betty and Martha? You said everybody goes to Hell. What are they going for?”

Veronica smiled, and despite the fangs and horns and scales, it looked sweet. Fond, even.

“Betty’s greatest sin is Envy. Envy towards children for their innocence, which was stolen from her. Envy towards them for having what she can never hope to reclaim.”

“And Martha?”

“Martha’s greatest sin,” Veronica said, her smile turning into something proud, “Is Wrath.”

Duke laughed. “ _Wrath?_ You’ve got to be kidding!”

“Try telling that to the man whose arm she broke. Martha is slow to anger. Almost exceedingly so. But when one decides to hurt her loved ones…” Veronica met Duke’s stare head on, “Let’s just say no Demon Queen of Westerburg High could ever scare me as much as Martha Dunnstock on the warpath to avenge those she cares about.”

Duke stared uncomprehendingly for a few moments. “She broke someone’s arm?”

Veronica nodded. “She’ll have to relive that from _his_ perspective, but I’m sure she won’t regret doing it. I plan to personally see to it that he relives every moment of Betty’s anguish for his actions a hundred times over.”

Duke flinched at the venom in Veronica’s tone.

Things probably weren’t as black and white as she thought, after all.


	5. Chapter 5

Chandler seemed to be watching her.

It didn’t surprise Veronica much. Ever since she summoned her, Veronica seemed to be under intense scrutiny. She wasn’t really bothered by it, but it was a little odd, especially with the way Duke seemed to be avoiding her since their…  _ talk, _ and Mac seemed to be trying her best to stay on Veronica’s good side.

Not that she had ever been on her good side in the first place. She had no sympathy for cowards.

At the moment, though, that was irrelevant, because she and Chandler were alone in Chandler’s car, and Veronica got the sneaking suspicion that she was about to be given a request.

“So,” Chandler started, “I have something for you to do.”

It would have sounded casual to anyone else, but Veronica was far too skilled in deception to buy it.

“What is it?”

Chandler pursed her lips, her grip on the steering wheel tightening almost imperceptibly.

“What do you know about my father?” she asked.

Veronica hummed. “He’s a businessman, embezzler, animal abuser, spousal abuser, gained a rather lengthy extension on his sentence a little over ten years ago for child abuse and-” Her eyes widened suddenly. “You want revenge.”

Chandler grimaced. “Not… not exactly.” She frowned. “Wait. Sentence?”

“Didn’t Heather tell you? Everyone spends time in Hell. How long just depends on how much evil one does in their lifetime,” Veronica’s brow furrowed as she thought, “I’d need your father’s file to determine exactly how long he’ll be there, but it could very well be longer than that, depending on whether or not he repents the first time.”

“File?”

Veronica snorted. “It’s not really surprising that Hell’s a bureaucracy, Heather. Just getting ahold of the forms to request a person’s sentence file is an absolute mess of red tape. It might take a few weeks to get his information. Although, if you’re willing, I can just take a peek in your mind to see exactly what he’s done.”

Chandler grit her teeth. “That… won’t be necessary.”

“Alright. What do you want me to do to him?”

“What are you willing to do?”

Veronica thought for a moment. “Well, I’m not really supposed to interfere directly in anyone’s lives, but I  _ am _ bound to you, so there are some exceptions to the rules. Given the situation, I could probably get away with a lot, as long as I don’t expose the existence of demons to the masses. Still, I’d rather not commit any felonies or seriously physically harm anyone.”

Chandler nodded. “I can work with that.”

“I’m especially good at mimicry, but I’ve got a little experience with manipulating minds, if that’s something you’re interested in,” she shrugged, “Nothing special, though. I can mess with perception, dreams, emotions, to an extent. Oh! I can curse him!”

“How does that work?”

“Standard procedure is a ritual with something that belongs to him, preferably something with sentimental value or a part of him. Hair, blood, that sort of thing. Then all I have to do is use the right kind of words and,” she snapped her fingers, “Cursed with whatever kind of misfortune you find appropriate.”

“This all sounds… really simple.”

“If you’ve got inherent magical power, sure,” Veronica said dismissively, “But if you don’t, then you’d need something that carries the curse you’re looking for, or an item with the right magical power to help you cast the curse. You’ve got a bit of power, but not quite to the extent that it would take to curse someone. With time and practice, you could figure it out, but at the moment, you couldn’t curse a cricket.”

Chandler sneered. “Are you honestly still insulting my magic?”

“Heather, I will  _ always _ talk shit about your magic,” Veronica grinned, “Especially since the three of you picked a fight with  _ Martha! _ Do you have any idea how powerful her bloodline is? Challenging her is definitely up there on the list of the worst ideas you’ve ever had.”

“Is that why you hang out with her? Because of her powerful family?” Heather asked.

Veronica’s eyes narrowed at the accusation. “I’ll have you know that her lineage isn’t why we became friends,” she growled, “Honestly, she was the one who approached me with the offer of friendship, seeing as how I didn’t have any friends of my own at the time.”

“So she pitied you?”

“Probably.”

Chandler glanced at Veronica from the corner of her eye. “You don’t seem bothered by that.”

“Why should I be? I was lonely, and she wanted to fix that. Besides, why does it matter now if she pitied me almost a decade ago?”

Chandler though for a moment. “You have a fair point.”

“Of course I do,” Veronica said matter-of-factly, “Now, how do you want me to deal with your father?”

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment if you like, and please feel free to send me an ask at shanes-scribbles on tumblr!


End file.
